Apparently public libraries are in trouble in the state of Ohio due to 1) a decline in the state’s general revenue fund, and 2) Governor Ted Strickland’s proposed 30% cut to statewide library funding.
According to the responses from this Yahoo! Answers question, fireworks displays on the scale of what I’ve been hearing about in the small towns surrounding Kent would run into tens of thousands of dollars in addition to costs for insurance, police, music, etc. I don’t know how many fireworks displays there were in Ohio this July 3rd and 4th, but there were 37 in the Northeast corner of the state according to this news site.
I realize that this is not a maximized solution, but I believe that forgoing fireworks during a financial crisis so that those funds can be routed to local libraries, which provide year-round services to the public, would be a far better use of money than an ersatz orgasmic light spectacle.
Read more about the Ohio library dilemma on the Ohio Library Council website here.
Posted in News Tagged: budget, fireworks, libraries, ohio, responsible
